Methods and apparatus for a head covering device with increased air circulation

ABSTRACT

Methods and apparatus for a head covering may improve air circulation through any suitable head covering. Methods and apparatus for a head covering may comprise a base configured to fit around a wearer&#39;s head, a sidewall comprising a plurality of open cells configured to prevent light rays at or above a predetermined angle relative to the passageway of each cell from passing unobstructed through the cell, and a crown configured to close of the interior surface of the sidewall. The minimum depth of each cell may be determined based on the height of the cell, the angle at or above which the light rays are to obstructed, and the angle of the exterior cell opening. The cells may be arranged in the sidewall such that the lower surface of the passageway of each cell is substantially at the same angle with respect to a horizontal plane.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/943,366, filed Feb. 22, 2014, titled HONEYCOMB HAT,and incorporates its disclosure by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many head coverings are designed to protect the wearer's face and headfrom the sun, providing relief from the sun and limiting the short termand long term health problems associated with overexposure to directsunlight. Contemporary head coverings may allow some passive aircirculation within the head covering to increase the comfort of thewearer. However, current head covering designs fail to achieve asufficient level of air circulation, and under direct sunlight thetemperature inside the head covering may rise to uncomfortable levels.This may result in the wearer regularly taking the head covering off andexposing the wearer's head and face to harmful sunlight.

For example, a common method for allowing air circulation is to placesmall holes in the head covering, often in the crown. The holes must besmall and there must be relatively few of them to prevent unwantedsunlight from reaching the wearer's head. This may result in restrictedair circulation. Another method for allowing air circulation is toincorporate a thin flexible mesh into the design of the hat. The mesh,however, may also allow a dangerous amount of direct ultravioletradiation from the sun to reach the wearer's head. Other attempts toincrease air circulation may include mechanical devices which force airinto the dome, but these methods substantially increase manufacturingcosts and have not found a wider market acceptance. These and othercontemporary head covering designs therefore fail to achieve asufficient level of air circulation while providing adequate protectionfrom the sun.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Methods and apparatus for a head covering may improve air circulationthrough any suitable head covering while protecting a wearer's head fromharmful sunlight. In an exemplary embodiment, a head covering maycomprise a base configured to fit around the wearer's head, a sidewallcomprising a plurality of open cells configured to prevent light rays ator above a predetermined angle relative to the passageway of each cellfrom passing unobstructed through the cell, and a crown configured toclose off the interior surface of the sidewall and cover the user'shead. A minimum depth of each cell may be determined based on a heightof the cell, an angle relative to the cell at or above which the lightrays are to be obstructed, and an angle of the exterior cell opening.The cells may be arranged in the sidewall such that a lower surface ofthe passageway of each cell is substantially at the same angle withrespect to a horizontal plane, and the interior and exterior cellopenings may be tangent to the horizontal contour of the head covering.In certain exemplary embodiments, methods and apparatus for a headcovering may be applied to a head-protecting head covering, such as ahard hat, helmet, or the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

A more complete understanding of the present technology may be derivedby referring to the detailed description and claims when considered inconnection with the following illustrative figures. In the followingfigures, like reference numbers refer to similar elements and stepsthroughout the figures.

FIG. 1A representatively illustrates a head covering with a partialcut-away section in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thepresent technology;

FIG. 1B representatively illustrates a close up view of the partialcut-away section of the head covering shown in 1A in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the present technology;

FIG. 2 representatively illustrates a head covering worn on a human headin accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present technology;

FIG. 3A representatively illustrates a first cross-sectional view of asidewall of the head covering in accordance with an exemplary embodimentof the present technology;

FIG. 3B representatively illustrates a cross-sectional view of a firstcell in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presenttechnology;

FIG. 4A representatively illustrates a perspective view of a second cellin accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present technology;

FIGS. 4B-4D representatively illustrate a plurality of cross-sectionalviews of the second cell in accordance with exemplary embodiments of thepresent technology;

FIG. 5A representatively illustrates a first plurality of cell openingsin accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present technology;

FIG. 5B representatively illustrates a second plurality of cell openingsin accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present technology;

FIG. 6A representatively illustrates a second cross-sectional view ofthe head covering in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thepresent technology;

FIG. 6B representatively illustrates a plan view of the head covering inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present technology;

FIG. 7 representatively illustrates a cross-sectional view of a thirdcell in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presenttechnology;

FIG. 8A representatively illustrates a grid of hexagon-shaped cells usedin conjunction with the head covering in accordance with a firstexemplary embodiment of the present technology;

FIG. 8B representatively illustrates a grid of triangle-shaped cellsused in conjunction with the head covering in accordance with a secondexemplary embodiment of the present technology;

FIG. 8C representatively illustrates a grid of circular-shaped cellsused in conjunction with the head covering in accordance with a thirdexemplary embodiment of the present technology; and

FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating a method for a head covering inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present technology.

Elements and steps in the figures are illustrated for simplicity andclarity and have not necessarily been rendered according to anyparticular sequence. For example, steps that may be performedconcurrently or in different order are illustrated in the figures tohelp to improve understanding of embodiments of the present technology.In addition, elements in the figures may not be illustrated to scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The present technology may be described in terms of functional blockcomponents and various processing steps. Such functional blocks may berealized by any number of components configured to perform the specifiedfunctions and achieve the various results. For example, exemplaryembodiments of the present technology may employ various materials, hatcomponents, sun protection, and the like, for example various fabrics,plastics, brims, hatbands, sidewalls, crowns, and the like, which maycarry out a variety of functions. In addition, various aspects of thepresent technology may be practiced in conjunction with any number ofhead coverings, for example a baseball cap, cowboy hat, safari hat,sombrero, hard hat, helmet, and the like, and the systems and methodsdescribed are merely exemplary applications for the technology. Further,exemplary embodiments of the present invention may employ any number ofconventional techniques for sun protection, environmental protection,air circulation, sweat absorption, physical injury protection, couplingwith a head (human or otherwise), size adjustment, manufacturing,injection molding, 3D printing, and the like.

Various representative implementations of the present technology may beapplied to any suitable head covering system. Certain representativeimplementations may include, for example, a head covering sidewallconfigured with a plurality of openings configured to allow thecirculation of air between the interior and exterior of the headcovering while having a depth sufficient enough to prevent directsunlight from passing through to the interior of the head covering.Methods and apparatus for improved air circulation may operate inconjunction with a head covering 100. Referring now to FIG. 1A, the headcovering 100 may comprise a base 105, a sidewall 110, and a crown 140.In some embodiments, the head covering 100 may comprise a brim 115.

The base 105 defines a lower limit of the sidewall 110. The base 105 maybe coupled to the sidewall 110 and may also be coupled to the brim 115.As used herein, the term “coupled” may also refer to two componentsbeing part of the same material, object, or otherwise integratedtogether. The base 105 may form a substantially planar closed curvesurface configured to fit around an object such as a human head. Thebase 105 may comprise any suitable system for shaping the sidewall tofit the head. For example, the base 105 may comprise a materialapproximately circular or oval in shape, a material shaped approximatelylike the circumference of a human head, a hatband and/or sweatband(whether or not adjustable), and/or the like. In some embodiments, thebase 105 may secure the head covering 100 on the wearer's head, forexample an adjustable hatband. An adjustable portion of the hatband maycomprise an adjustment device of any suitable type such as a buckle,ratchet, strap, hook-and-loop, or cinch system, and/or the like. Inother embodiments, the base 105 may be configured to be separated fromthe wearer's head when worn, such as for some hard hats or helmets wherea separate system may be used to secure the head covering 100 on thewearer's head (for example foam padding, an internal harness system, andthe like). The separate system for securing the head covering 100 may bepart of or coupled with any suitable portion of the head covering 100.

The brim 115 may provide protection for a wearer of the head covering100 (“wearer” and “user” may be used interchangeably). The brim 115 maybe coupled with or may be part of the base 105 and/or sidewall 110. Thebrim 115 may comprise any suitable system for reducing the amount ofsunlight, rain, snow, debris, and/or the like that the wearerexperiences. For example, the brim 115 may comprise a baseball hat-typebrim, a visor, a safari hat-type brim, a cowboy hat-type brim, a hardhat-type brim, and/or the like. In some embodiments, the head covering100 may not comprise a brim 115, for example certain types of beanies,hard hats, and helmets.

The sidewall 110 may be configured to cover part of the wearer's head.The sidewall 110 may be coupled to the base 105 and extend upward fromthe base 105 to the crown. In some embodiments, for example when thebase 105 comprises an adjustable portion, the sidewall 110 may not bedirectly coupled to the base 105 in the area of the adjustable portion,but still generally extends upward from base 105 in the area of theadjustable portion. Referring to FIG. 1B, the sidewall 110 may comprisean exterior surface 130 and an interior surface 120 configured to facethe wearer's head.

The sidewall 110 may comprise any suitable system for providingprotection from the sun, heat, cold, rain, snow, other weather, debris,physical impact, physical injury, and/or the like. In an exemplaryembodiment, the sidewall 110 may comprise a cellular structureconfigured to protect from the sun as well as provide air circulation.The cellular structure may comprise one or more panels of an injectionmolded or 3D printed material, such as one or more thermoplastics,thermosetting polymers, elastomers, metals, and/or the like. Thecellular structure may comprise one or more panels of a soft and/ornon-rigid material, such as foam, fabric, and/or the like. The cellularstructure may comprise a plurality of cells directed generallyhorizontally perpendicular to an axis of the head covering 100. Forexample, referring now to FIG. 2, the axis 200 of the head covering 100may comprise a vertical line passing through the head covering 100 thatwould be both positioned approximately in the center of the wearer'shead and perpendicular to a horizontal plane 210 when worn by the weareras intended and with the wearer's head upright. The axis 200 may beconsidered to run in the vertical direction, and terms such as up, down,upper, lower, top, bottom, and the like are in reference to the axis200, with the crown 140 being above the base 105. The sidewall 110 maybe configured for use in a conventional cap, as shown in FIG. 1A. Inanother embodiment, the sidewall 110 may be configured for use in a hardhat and may comprise a cellular structure to protect from the sun,physical impact, and/or injury, as well as provide air circulation.

The crown 140 closes off an upper portion of the interior surface 120 ofthe sidewall 110. For example, the crown 140 may be disposed above anupper edge of the sidewall 110 and form a closed top portion of the headcovering 100. The crown 140 may comprise any suitable system forproviding protection to the wearer's head from elements such as the sun,heat, cold, rain, snow, other weather, debris, physical impact, physicalinjury, and/or the like. The crown 140 may comprise a conventional crownor may comprise a cellular structure as described in connection with thesidewall 110.

Referring now to FIG. 3A, the sidewall 110 may comprise one or morecells 300. In an exemplary embodiment, at least some of the cells 300are substantially horizontally-centered, with reference to the exteriorsurface 130, along a vertical plane. Some or all of the cells that aresubstantially centered along the vertical plane form a set of cellsreferred to as a substantially vertically-collinear cell set. Forexample, the sidewall 110 shown in FIG. 1B comprises a plurality ofsubstantially vertically-collinear cell sets, one of which comprises thecells along a first curved line 3A-3A′, the first curved line 3A-3A′running in a first vertical plane. Similarly, at least some of the cells300 may be substantially vertically-centered, with reference to theexterior surface 130, along a horizontal plane. Some or all of the cellsthat are substantially centered along the horizontal plane form a set ofcells referred to as a substantially horizontally-collinear cell set.For example, the sidewall 110 shown in FIG. 1B comprises a plurality ofsubstantially horizontally-collinear cells sets, one of which comprisesthe cells along a second curved line 160 running in a first horizontalplane.

Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, a cell 300 may comprise an interioropening 320 in the interior sidewall surface 120 and an exterior opening330 in the exterior sidewall surface 130, and may form an openpassageway between the interior sidewall surface 120 and exteriorsidewall surface 130. The cell 300 may be configured to prevent a lightray 370 having an angle a or greater relative to a lower surface of thepassageway from passing unobstructed through the open passageway. Insome embodiments, the cell 300 may be configured to prevent a light ray370 have an angle a or greater relative to a lower track of thepassageway 350 from passing unobstructed through the open passageway,wherein the lower track of the passageway 350 runs along the lowersurface of the passageway and may be thought of as representing thegeneral trajectory and/or direction of the cell 300. A light ray 370 maybe considered to be obstructed when it cannot pass through the openpassageway without encountering an interior surface of the openpassageway. The cell 300 may have any suitable shape in any suitableorientation to achieve this purpose. An obstructed light ray 370 maynonetheless still pass through the open passageway, for example if itreflects off an interior surface of the cell and continues to traveltoward the interior opening 320. In some embodiments, the cell 300 maybe made from any suitable material, have any suitable coating, have anysuitable shape on the interior of the cell 300 (e.g. sawtoothprotrusions), and/or the like to reduce the energy of the light ray 370and/or reduce the number of light rays 370 that encounter the interiorsurface of the cell and continue to travel toward the interior opening.

Referring now to FIG. 4A, the cell 300 may have its interior opening 320and exterior opening 330 substantially tangent to the sidewall 110 inthe horizontal direction, such that a first horizontal line 420 passingfrom one side of the interior opening 320 to another side of theinterior opening 320 will be substantially parallel with a secondhorizontal line 430 passing from one side of the exterior opening 330 toanother side of the exterior opening 330. Referring to FIGS. 4A-4C, theinterior opening 320 and exterior opening 330 may be substantiallyparallel (FIG. 4B), may be tilted on the horizontal lines in the samedirection but at different angles (FIG. 4C), or may be tilted on thehorizontal lines toward or away from each other (FIG. 4D, e.g. referringto the tops of the interior opening 320 and exterior opening 330), as afew non-limiting examples. A cell 300 configured in such a way may bereferred to as a regular cell. Referring to FIG. 3A, the interioropenings 320 and exterior openings 330 are substantially parallel,albeit slightly curved, and these cells 300 are considered regularcells. In an exemplary embodiment, the interior opening 320 and exterioropening 330 may be substantially normal to the sidewall 110, for exampleas shown in FIG. 1A, though the open passageway of each cell 300 may notrun in the direction normal to the sidewall 110. Though the systems andmethods described herein may be with reference to a regular cell, one ofordinary skill in the art will recognize that the same techniques can beused to configure non-regular cells to perform the same functions.

To prevent a light ray at a predetermined angle from passingunobstructed through the cell 300, a minimum depth T of the cell 300 maybe determined based on the predetermined angle and a height H of thecell 300 at the exterior opening 330. The height H and depth T may bemeasured with respect to a vertical plane intersecting the cell 300. Theheight H of the cell 300 may be defined to be the length of the longeststraight line running from an upper edge of the exterior opening 330 toa lower point 360 in the cell 300, the line being perpendicular to thesurface of the cell at the lower point 360 (in the direction runningalong the lower track of the passageway 350). This line may be referredto as the height line 355. The point where the height line 355intersects the upper edge of the exterior opening 330 may be referred toas the upper point 340. The height line 355 runs in the vertical planeintersecting the cell 300, but is not necessarily completely vertical.For example, while the height line 355 shown in FIG. 3B may becompletely vertical, the height line 660 of a cell 440 in FIG. 6A maynot be completely vertical.

The depth T of the cell 300 may be defined to be the length of the lowertrack of the passageway 350. The lower track of the passageway 350 maybe defined to be a line running from the exterior opening 330 to theinterior opening 320 along the interior surface of the passageway, theline passing through the lower point 360 and running along the linehaving the shortest distance from the lower point 360 to the interioropening 320. For a regular cell, the lower track of the passageway 350may generally run along a line approximately perpendicular to both theinterior opening 320 and exterior opening 330, and will run in the samevertical plane intersecting the cell 300 that the height line 355 runsin. Therefore, for a regular cell, the height line 355 and lower trackof the passageway 350 form a right-triangle in the vertical planeintersecting the cell 300.

It should be noted that the lower track of the passageway 350 does notnecessarily run along the lowest portion of the cell 300, and the upperpoint 340 is not necessarily at the highest point on the exterioropening 330, depending on the rotation of the cell, shape of the cell,and/or the like. For example, referring to FIG. 5A, which illustratesthe exterior openings 330 of a plurality of triangular cells 300, thelower tracks of the passageways 350 run along the lowest portion of thecells, through the lower points 360, and the upper points 340 are at thehighest point in each exterior opening 330. Referring to FIG. 5B, whichillustrates the exterior cell openings 330 of a plurality of rotatedtriangular cells 300, the lower tracks of the passageways 350 runningthrough the lower points 360 do not all run along the lowest portion ofeach cell 300, and the upper points 340 are not all at the highest pointin each exterior opening 330.

Referring again to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the minimum depth T of the cell 300can be chosen to prevent any light ray 370 at or above angle a relativeto the lower track of the passageway 350 from passing unobstructedthrough the cell. As described above, the depth T of the cell 300 is thelength of the lower track of the passageway 350. In an exemplaryembodiment, a cell 300 has the upper point 340 and lower point 360 bothon the exterior opening 330 (e.g. there is no backward or forward tiltto the exterior opening 330). In this embodiment, the length of thelower track of the passageway 350 is measured from the lower point 360to the interior opening 320, and may determined by the angle a and theheight H. For example, in this embodiment, the minimum length T of thelower track of the passageway 350 may be calculated as:

$T = \frac{H}{\tan(a)}$

In another exemplary embodiment, and referring to FIG. 3B, a cell 300may have the lower point 360 recessed in from (and not on) the exterioropening 330. In this embodiment, the length of the lower track of thepassageway 350 may be measured by adding the length of the lower trackof the passageway 350 from the lower point 360 to the exterior opening330 to the length of the lower track of the passageway 350 from thelower point 360 to the interior opening 320. The length of the lowertrack of the passageway 350 from the lower point 360 to the exterioropening 330 may be determined by the height H and the angle b of theexterior opening 330 relative to the lower track of the passageway 350.For example, the length of the lower track of the passageway 350 fromthe lower point 360 to the exterior opening 330 may be calculated as:

$T = \frac{H}{\tan(a)}$

In this embodiment, the minimum length T of the lower track of thepassageway 350 may be calculated as:

$\begin{matrix}{T = {\frac{H}{\tan(a)} + \frac{H}{\tan(b)}}} \\{= {H \times \left( \frac{{\tan(a)} + {\tan(b)}}{{\tan(a)} \times {\tan(b)}} \right)}} \\{= {H \times \left( {{\arctan(a)} + {\arctan(b)}} \right)}}\end{matrix}$

While the above methods have been described in connection with a cell300 that has a lower point 360 on or recessed from the exterior opening330, the same principles may be used to determine the minimum depth of acell 300 having its upper point 340 overhanging the lower edge of theexterior opening 330.

Each cell 300 may be arranged in the sidewall 110 such that the lowertrack of the passageway 350 of each cell 300 is parallel to some lineintersecting the axis 200 of the head covering at some angle. Some,none, or all of the cells 300 may be parallel to the same lineintersecting the axis 200. In other words, the cells 300 may be orientedsimilarly or differently in the sidewall 110. In an exemplaryembodiment, referring to FIG. 6A, the lower tracks of the passageways650, 652, 654 of each substantially vertically-collinear cell 640, 642,644 are substantially parallel to each other and to a first line 610intersecting the axis 200 at a first angle c. For a sidewall 110 that isshaped according to a circular base 105, for example a sphericalsidewall, the first line 610 may be vertically-aligned with each of thelower tracks of the passageways 650, 652, 654.

Referring to FIG. 6B, for a sidewall 110 that is shaped according to anon-circular base, such as in a head covering 100 with an ellipticalbase 105, the first line 610 may be non-vertically aligned with thelower track of the passageway 450. Further, the lower tracks of thepassageways 650, 656 for each substantially horizontally-collinear cell640, 646 may be parallel to separate lines projecting outward from asame point of the axis 200 at the first angle c. The above may also betrue for a sidewall 110 that is shaped according to a circular base 105.For example, the lower track of the passageway 650 for a first cell 640may be parallel with the first line 610, and the lower track of thepassageway 656 for a second cell 646 may be parallel with a second line612 also intersecting the axis 200 at the first angle c. In thisembodiment, the lower tracks of the passageways 650, 652, 654, 656 ofeach cell 640, 642, 644, 646 are at substantially the same angle (90°−c)with respect to the horizontal plane 210. These relationships may holdtrue for all cells in the sidewall 110, such that each lower track of apassageway 350 is at substantially the same angle with respect to thehorizontal plane 210. In an exemplary embodiment, the first angle c is90°, such that each of the lower tracks of the passageways 650, 652,654, 656 is in one of a plurality of horizontal planes.

In some embodiments, some or all of the lower tracks of the passageways350 in the sidewall 110 may be at different angles with respect to thehorizontal plane 210. For example, each cell in the sidewall 110 may bearranged such that no two cells have a lower track of the passageway 350at the same angle with respect to the horizontal plane 210, one or moregroups of cells may be arranged such that all cells within the grouphave a lower track of the passageway 350 at the same angle with respectto the horizontal plane 210, or the like.

Overall, the head covering 100 may be configured to prevent light raysat or above an angle A relative to the horizontal plane 210 from passingunobstructed through the sidewall 100. The angle A may represent theangle of the sun above the horizon at or above which the head covering100 is configured to prevent light rays from the sun from passingunobstructed to the interior of the head covering, when the headcovering 100 is worn as intended on an upright head. The angles a and cfor each cell 300 may therefore be determined according to the angle A.For example, referring now to FIG. 7, if the head covering 100 isconfigured for an angle A of 45°, and a lower track of the passageway350 of a cell 300 is at an angle of 10° below the horizontal plane 210(c=80°) when the head covering 100 is worn as intended, then the cell300 may be configured with an angle a less than or equal to (A+(90°−c)),or 55°. The value of the angle c, for example, may be chosen to increaseor decrease the thickness of the sidewall 110. Decreasing the angle c(and increasing the angle of the lower track of the passageway 350 withrespect to the horizontal plane 210) may allow the thickness and/orweight of the sidewall 110 to be reduced while keeping the same angle A.

In some embodiments, the lower track of the passageway 350 of each of aplurality of cells 300 of the head covering 100 is at about the sameangle with respect to the horizontal plane 210, and the height H anddepth T of each of the plurality of cells 300 are configured to preventlight rays at some angle greater than or equal to a predeterminedminimum angle relative to the lower track of the passageway 350 frompassing unobstructed through the cell 300. The predetermined minimumangle may be at least about 15°. For example, each of the plurality ofcells 300 may have an angle a of at least about 15°, such as in therange between about 25° and about 45°. Some or all of the plurality ofcells 300 may be configured for different angles a or for substantiallythe same angle a, subject to the minimum predetermined angle. The anglec may be about 90°, such that the lower track of the passageway 350 foreach of the plurality of cells 300 is substantially in a horizontalplane.

In an embodiment, the height H of each of the plurality of cells 300 maybe substantially the same, and the angle a for each of the plurality ofcells 300 may be substantially the same. For example, the height H ofeach of the plurality of cells 300 may be about 5 mm, and the angle amay be about 30°. For a cell having an angle b of 70°, the minimum depthT may be given by:T=5 mm×(arctan(30°)+arctan(70°))=10.48 mmIn another exemplary embodiment, the height H of each of the pluralityof cells 300 may be about 3.5 mm, and the angle a may be about 40°. Ifthe angles a and b are kept the same, reducing the height H of a cell300 will reduce the minimum depth T, which may also reduce the thicknessof the sidewall 110 and the weight of the sidewall 110.

In view of the possible contours of the sidewall 110, the angle b maynot be the same for each of the plurality of cells 300 even if theheight H and angle a remain constant. In an exemplary embodiment, theexterior surface 130 may be substantially convex relative to the base105, such that as a cell 300 is positioned higher in the sidewall 110,its angle b decreases. For a sidewall 110 that is approximately the samethickness throughout (measured normal to the convex curve of thesidewall 110), the minimum depth T of a cell 300 may then increase as itis positioned higher in the sidewall 110. For example, referring againto FIG. 3A which illustrates a slightly convex portion of a sidewall110, the depth T of the lowest cell 300 is less than the depth T of themiddle cell 300, which is less than the depth T of the upper cell 300.

Referring now to FIGS. 8A-8C, the interior opening 320, exterior opening330, and passageway of the cell 300 may have any suitable shape. In anexemplary embodiment, a plurality of cells 300 may be shaped ashexagons, and may arranged in a grid representing a honeycomb. The cells300 may also be shaped as stretched hexagons, rectangles, squares,rhombs, triangles, circles, and/or the like. Any interior or exteriorcorner or edge of the cell 300 may be rounded (also referred to asfilleted). Each of the cells 300 in the sidewall 110 may be spaced atany suitable distance from other cells 300 in the sidewall 110. Forexample, if the height H of each cell 300 is 5 mm, the cell wall sharedby each cell 300 and a neighboring cell 300 may be about 1 mm thick. Thespacing may also depend on the properties of the sidewall 110 material.If the sidewall 110 is to be used in a hard hat, helmet, or the like,the cell walls may be made thicker and/or the cells 300 may be madedeeper to provide the desired impact resistance, physical injuryprotection, and/or the like.

A plurality of cells 300 may be arranged in any suitable manner in thesidewall 110. In an exemplary embodiment, the plurality of cells 300 maybe arranged in substantially vertically-collinear cell sets 800 andsubstantially horizontally-collinear cell sets 810. In otherembodiments, the plurality of cells 300 may be arranged randomly, orsuch that relatively few or no substantially vertically-collinear cellssets 800 or substantially horizontally-collinear cells sets 810 exist inthe sidewall 110.

In some embodiments, the sidewall 110 may comprise one or moreinjection-molded and/or 3D printed portions. For example, for a baseballcap such as shown in FIG. 1A, each sidewall portion between consecutiveseams running from the base 105 to the crown 140 may comprise anindividual injection molded panel, the entire sidewall 110 may comprisea single injection molded piece, or the like. A draft angle may beintroduced to the walls of one or more cells 300 of a molded part (e.g.injection molding) to facilitate removal of the part from a mold. Thedraft angle may be any suitable angle, for example about 1° to 1.5°, andthe direction of the draft depends on the planned direction ofdemolding. In an exemplary embodiment, the sidewall 110 may comprise sixpanels of a honeycomb material, wherein each panel may be planar orcontoured (e.g. convex curve). Further, in an exemplary embodiment, allor a majority of the exterior openings 330 face approximately normal tothe surface of the sidewall 110 which may provide an increased amount ofair circulation, because the head covering 100 may allow air from anydirection to pass through the sidewall 110. In another exemplaryembodiment, all or a majority of the exterior openings 330 faceapproximately the same direction, for example in a forward- and/orrear-facing direction of the head covering. This may be useful, forexample, in a sport involving significant forward movement, because theforward-facing exterior openings 330 may maximize the amount of air ableto pass through the sidewall 110 during forward motion.

Referring now to FIG. 9, a method of forming a head covering device withimproved air circulation (900) may comprise forming a base 105 (910),forming a sidewall 110 (920), disposing the sidewall 110 above the base105 (930), and disposing a crown 140 above the sidewall 110 (940).Forming the base 105 (910) may comprise forming one or more materialsinto a substantially planar closed curve configured to fit (whethersnuggly or loosely) around a user's head. The base 105 may comprise anadjustable portion, and may be part of or coupled with the sidewall 110.The crown 140 may comprise any suitable system for providing protectionto the wearer's head, and disposing the crown 140 above the sidewall 110(940) may comprise disposing the sidewall above an upper edge of thesidewall 110. The crown 140 may be part of or coupled with the sidewall110.

The sidewall 110 may be configured as previously described. The sidewallmay be formed (920) using any suitable method. The sidewall 110 may beformed (920) as a plurality of panels which are coupled together in anysuitable arrangement, or formed as a single piece. The sidewall 110 maybe formed (920) by any suitable method, such as injection molding, 3Dprinting, room temperature vulcanization (“RTV”) silicone mold casting,sewing, or the like. In some embodiments, such as for hard hats,helmets, or the like, the sidewall 110 may be formed (920) as a singlepiece with the crown 140 and/or base 105. In some embodiments, themethod of forming the head covering (900) may further comprise forming abrim 115. The brim may be formed as part of the base 105 and/or sidewall110, and/or coupled to the base 105 and/or sidewall 110.

The particular implementations shown and described are illustrative ofthe invention and its best mode and are not intended to otherwise limitthe scope of the present invention in any way. Indeed, for the sake ofbrevity, conventional manufacturing, connection, preparation, and otherfunctional aspects of the system may not be described in detail.Furthermore, the connecting lines shown in the various figures areintended to represent exemplary functional relationships and/or stepsbetween the various elements. Many alternative or additional functionalrelationships or physical connections may be present in a practicalsystem.

In the foregoing description, the invention has been described withreference to specific exemplary embodiments. Various modifications andchanges may be made, however, without departing from the scope of thepresent invention as set forth. The description and figures are to beregarded in an illustrative manner, rather than a restrictive one andall such modifications are intended to be included within the scope ofthe present invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should bedetermined by the generic embodiments described and their legalequivalents rather than by merely the specific examples described above.For example, the steps recited in any method or process embodiment maybe executed in any appropriate order and are not limited to the explicitorder presented in the specific examples. Additionally, the componentsand/or elements recited in any system embodiment may be combined in avariety of permutations to produce substantially the same result as thepresent invention and are accordingly not limited to the specificconfiguration recited in the specific examples.

Benefits, other advantages and solutions to problems have been describedabove with regard to particular embodiments. Any benefit, advantage,solution to problems or any element that may cause any particularbenefit, advantage or solution to occur or to become more pronounced,however, is not to be construed as a critical, required or essentialfeature or component.

The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any variation thereof, areintended to reference a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process,method, article, composition or apparatus that comprises a list ofelements does not include only those elements recited, but may alsoinclude other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process,method, article, composition or apparatus. Other combinations and/ormodifications of the above-described structures, arrangements,applications, proportions, elements, materials or components used in thepractice of the present invention, in addition to those not specificallyrecited, may be varied or otherwise particularly adapted to specificenvironments, manufacturing specifications, design parameters or otheroperating requirements without departing from the general principles ofthe same.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A personal head covering device forblocking lights rays from reaching a user's head, comprising: a baseforming a substantially planar closed curve configured to fit around auser's head; a single sidewall extending upward from the base along theentire substantially planar closed curve, wherein the sidewallcomprises: an interior surface; an exterior surface; and a plurality ofcells extending through the single sidewall from the interior andexterior surfaces, wherein: each cell from the plurality of cellscomprises a height and a depth forming an open passageway between theinterior and exterior surfaces, wherein: the height is the length of aline, perpendicular to a lower track of the passageway, extending fromthe lower track of the passageway to a top exterior edge of thepassageway; and the depth is the length of the lower track of thepassageway; the lower track of each passageway in the plurality of cellsare oriented at substantially the same angle with respect to ahorizontal plane when the personal head covering device is worn by theuser; an upper surface of each passageway overlaps the lower track ofthe passageway; and the height and depth are configured to prevent lightrays having an angle greater than or equal to about 15 degrees relativeto the lower track of the passageway from passing unobstructed throughthe open passageway; and a crown disposed above an upper edge of thesidewall and configured to close off the interior surface of thesidewall.
 2. The personal head covering device of claim 1, wherein foreach cell from among the plurality of cells, the minimum depth T of thecell, to prevent a light ray having an angle greater than or equal to adegrees relative to the lower track from passing unobstructed throughthe open passageway, is given by:$T = {H \times \left( \frac{{\tan(a)} + {\tan(b)}}{{\tan(a)} \times {\tan(b)}} \right)}$where H is the height and b is the angle of the exterior openingrelative to the lower track of the passageway.
 3. The personal headcovering device of claim 2, wherein the height of each cell from theplurality of cells is substantially the same.
 4. The personal headcovering device of claim 3, wherein: the exterior surface of thesidewall is substantially convex relative to the base; and the pluralityof cells comprises at least one substantially vertically-collinear cellset, wherein the depth of a first cell from the substantiallyvertically-collinear cell set is greater than the depth of a second cellfrom the substantially vertically-collinear cell set that is positionedbelow the first cell.
 5. The personal head covering device of claim 1,wherein each cell from the plurality of cells is in the shape of ahexagon.
 6. The personal head covering device of claim 5, wherein theplurality cells forms a honeycomb grid.
 7. A personal head coveringdevice for blocking lights rays from reaching a user's head, comprising:a base forming a substantially planar closed curve configured to fitaround a user's head; a single sidewall extending upward from the basealong the entire substantially planar closed curve, wherein the sidewallcomprises: an interior surface; an exterior surface; and a plurality ofsubstantially vertically-collinear cell sets extending through thesingle sidewall from between the interior and exterior surfaces,wherein: each vertically-collinear cell set from the plurality ofsubstantially vertically-collinear cell sets comprises a plurality ofcells; each cell from the plurality of cells comprises a height and adepth forming an open passageway between the interior and exteriorsurfaces, wherein: the height is the length of a line, perpendicular toa lower track of the passageway, extending from the lower track of thepassageway to a top exterior edge of the passageway; and the depth isthe length of the lower track of the passageway; the lower track of eachpassageway in a substantially vertically-collinear cell set aresubstantially parallel to a first line projecting outward from an axisof the sidewall at a first angle to the axis; the lower track of eachpassageway in a set of substantially horizontally-collinear cells aresubstantially parallel to separate lines projecting outward from a samepoint of the axis at the first angle to the axis; an upper surface ofeach passageway overlaps the lower track of the passageway; and theheight and depth are configured to prevent light rays having an anglegreater than or equal to about 15 degrees relative to the lower track ofthe passageway from passing unobstructed through the open passageway;and a crown disposed above an upper edge of the sidewall and configuredto close off the interior surface of the sidewall.
 8. The personal headcovering device of claim 7, wherein the first angle is 90 degrees. 9.The personal head covering device of claim 7, wherein for each cell fromamong the plurality of cells, the minimum depth T of each cell, toprevent a light ray having an angle greater than or equal to a degreesrelative to the lower track of the passageway from passing unobstructedthrough the open passageway, is given by:$T = {H \times \left( \frac{{\tan(a)} + {\tan(b)}}{{\tan(a)} \times {\tan(b)}} \right)}$where H is the height and b is the angle of the exterior openingrelative to the lower track of the passageway.
 10. The personal headcovering device of claim 9, wherein the angle a is in the range between25 and 45 degrees.
 11. The personal head covering device of claim 9,wherein: the height of a first cell from the plurality of cells issubstantially the same as the height of a second cell from the pluralityof cells; and each cell from the plurality of cells comprises the sameangle a.
 12. The personal head covering device of claim 11, wherein theheight is about 5 millimeters.
 13. The personal head covering device ofclaim 11, wherein: the exterior surface of the sidewall is substantiallyconvex relative to the base; in at least one of the substantiallyvertically-collinear cell sets, the depth of a first cell from theplurality of cells is greater than the depth of a second cell from theplurality of cells positioned below the first cell.
 14. The personalhead covering device of claim 7, wherein each cell from the plurality ofcells is in the shape of a hexagon.
 15. The personal head coveringdevice of claim 7, wherein the plurality of substantiallyvertically-collinear cell sets forms a honeycomb grid.
 16. The personalhead covering device of claim 7, wherein each cell from the plurality ofcells is in the shape of a rectangle.